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Beare, a retired mechanic, says he decided to up his shot at winning by also buying four scratch-off tickets at the Quik Trip store on North Tryon Street.

If the record-breaking Powerball jackpot has you dreaming of how you would spend the winnings — you are not alone. But where you live plays a big role in how much of the prize you would get to keep.

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It was the last of those four Carolina Black tickets that came up a winner, though Beare admits he had to get the store clerk to explain the game to him.

“I asked her: ‘What does it mean if I match the numbers?’” he said in a release. “She said it meant I won a prize. I told her, ‘Well, I guess we just won $250,000 then.’ She was in shock and just kept looking back and forth to me and the ticket.”

The cash was whittled to $176,876 after he paid state and federal taxes, said state officials.

“My wife has always wanted to go to Italy, since that’s where her descendants are from. Now I can take her,” Beare said in a release. “This feels great.”

Did you win the lottery? Congratulations! It's time to keep a low profile and think about what to do with the money. These steps may help you!

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